Together, Anything's Possible
by gnesd
Summary: Grissom has a runin with a suspect. GSR. WIP. This is my first fanfic. Please let me know what you think. Thank you.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Not mine.

It had been a long night and it was about to get even longer. Brass was bringing in their suspect to a double homicide they had all been working the last couple of weeks. They had matched the prints on a knife, used to slaughter a man and his wife, to a Samuel Baker. Grissom was waiting in the interrogation room when Brass brought the suspect in. He took his cuffs off and sat him down at the table.

"Mr. Baker I'm Gil Grissom with the Las Vegas Crime Lab. Where were you on the night of May 14th?"

"Like you really expect me to remember that. I don't even remember what I did yesterday."

"It would be in your best interest to remember. We have a knife that was used in a double homicide with your prints all over it. How do you explain that?"

Baker just glared at Grissom and didn't say anything.

"Do you know a Mr. and Mrs. James Cobalt?"

Baker just shook his head no and wouldn't take his eyes off Grissom. Just then Brass' phone rang and he stepped outside to take the call.

"You know, our people are searching your apartment as we speak. You want to just tell me what they're going to find?"

"They aint gonna find shit. I don't know anything about this."

"What size shoe do you wear Mr. Baker?"

"What the hell is it to you?"

"We have shoeprints that left a blood trail in the house. You were sloppy Mr. Baker."

Baker was fuming at this point.

"What I want to know is why. These were decent people. Why did you do it?"

"I didn't do anything! You're framing me!" Grissom rolled his eyes at that.

Baker jumped out of his chair and lunged at Grissom. He punched Grissom in the face and Grissom fell to the floor. Baker followed and was hovering over Grissom, ready to hit him again, when Grissom punched Baker. They wrestled and Baker landed another punch to Grissom's cheek before Brass and another officer came rushing into the room. They managed to get Baker in handcuffs and he was staring at Grissom.

"You got nothin' on me pig. You better think twice about coming after me."

Brass looked towards the officer and gave Baker a push. "Get him out of here!"

Grissom was sitting on the floor with his head against the wall.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Yah, you look fine. Come on, let's get you some ice."

He had a busted lip, his cheek was getting some not so nice color to it, and he had a cut on his nose. He was sitting in his office with the icepack to his cheek when Catherine came in.

She walked over to his desk as he lowered the icepack. "Hey. Wow, that's gonna hurt tomorrow."

"It hurts enough right now." He put the icepack back to his cheek.

"What are you still doing here? Go home Grissom."

"If you insist." She smiled and he stood and tossed the icepack in the trash.

He was so exhausted and sore, he forgot that she was going to be there. There was enough sun coming in through the blinds so he didn't need to turn on any lights. As soon as he got to the bedroom doorway he stopped. He leaned against the doorframe just soaking in the sight of her naked in his bed. She always told him that it was more comfortable feeling the sheets against her skin than wearing pajamas. He had no complaints. She was lying on her stomach with the sheet just covering up to the middle of her back.

He stepped over to the nightstand and set his phone and wallet down. He kissed her back right between her shoulders. He winced from pain in his lower lip. She smiled at the feel of his lips and the tickle of his beard. She turned over while scooting a little on the bed. He took off his jacket and sat down and faced her. As she started to focus in on his face, her smile quickly turned to a frown.

"Griss, what happened to your face?"

Trying to lighten the mood he replied, "I need to trim my beard?"

"GRISSOM! You know what I'm talking about!"

He smirked. "You should see the other guy." He paused and let out a sigh. "Does it really look that bad?"

She grinned. "Well, you're still incredibly hot. But what happened?"

He winced at the comment. He didn't know why but it always made him feel uncomfortable when she would talk about him like that, and she knew it. He let out a deep sigh, kicked off his shoes, and laid down beside her. She nestled into his side and he put an arm around her. He told her a short version of the day's events. She held him even tighter. They were quiet for awhile and she realized he was asleep. She sighed and soon drifted off as well.

He woke up 5 hours later alone. He realized his shirt was on the floor. He couldn't remember if he took it off or if Sara did. He was too sore to really care. He went to the bathroom then padded out to the living room. Sara was sitting on the couch with her feet up on the coffee table wearing one of his shirts. She was watching a crime documentary. He walked over and sat right next to her. She put a hand on his thigh.

"Hey. How you feeling?"

"Sore." He leaned his head on her shoulder. He looked pitiful.

"I bet. How would you like a massage?"

"Not right now honey. I just want to sit here with you for awhile." HHHHHjjjj

He looked up and kissed her lips softly. "Thank you." She smiled and he put his head back down on her shoulder.

She kissed his head. "Anytime babe."

Just then his home phone rang. He groaned and she got up to get it for him. She handed it to him and he answered it. "Grissom."

"Hey pal. I hate to make you feel worse than you probably are right now."

"What is it Brass?"

"I don't know how else to tell you-"

"BRASS!"

"The knife is gone."

"What! What do you mean gone?"

"It disappeared from the evidence locker. Nobody knows how."

"Great."

"Look, we have him right now for assaulting a police officer but he lawyered up and will probably be out in a few hours. I want you to know, as soon as he's out I'm putting a guy on you. Baker seemed to think this was your fault."

"Fine. Whatever you think is necessary. I'll see you tonight."

"Alright, get some rest. I'll keep you up to date."

"Thanks." He let out a sigh.

As soon as he hung up the phone, he closed his eyes and leaned back on the couch. Sara was eager to here what that was about but she didn't want to push.

He looked at her. "We're back to square one. The knife is gone."

Her jaw dropped. "No way. How did that happen?"

He shook his head and shrugged. She put her arms around him. "We'll get him babe."

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Authors Note: Thank you to those of you who have sent reviews. This is my first fanfic so they meant a lot. Please let me know what you think of this chapter. Thank you!

They decided to ride in together. It wasn't unusual for the CSI's to pick each other up on occasion. He wasn't quite ready to tell the team about Sara and him. She had let her feelings be known, she would respect his wishes and let him tell them when he was ready.

They both were walking up to the building when they met up with Brass. Grissom looked to Sara. "Get the team together in the conference room. I'll meet up with you there."

She nodded. "Okay. Hey Brass."

"Hey guys."

They watched Sara disappear into the building.

"Well, you look better." Grissom frowned at him and cocked his head to one side. "Yeah, okay. Not really."

They started to walk inside. "So, I got Officer Franco outside your office. He's been assigned to you during the nights and Officer Hines will be with you during the day."

Grissom shook his head and opened his mouth to talk but Brass stopped him. Brass raised a hand. "I don't want to hear it. You have them whether you like it or not. I have to get going. Keep an eye out for Baker."

He sighed. "Yeah."

Grissom came in and sat down where they were all waiting around the table in the conference room. They started to go over everything they had on the killings. After awhile they were all quietly looking over notes and pictures.

Nick shook his head. "I still can't believe we came up with nothing at his apartment. He would have had blood all over him. He had to of changed and washed up somewhere else."

Sara came out deep thought. "What's still bothering me is why his prints were on the knife but nowhere in the Cobalt's home?"

Catherine chimed in. "Not to mention he wears a size too big for the shoeprints we found. There had to be someone with him."

"Or, just someone else period." Everyone raised there heads to look at Grissom. He leaned back in his chair and shrugged. "Maybe Baker wasn't involved. Maybe…someone is trying to set him up." They continued to stare. He sighed. "Look, we need to go about this a different way. Let's go back to the scene. There has got to be _something_ we missed. Warrick. Nick. I want you to find out everyone the Cobalt's came in contact with 24 hours before their death. If that doesn't lead us anywhere then go 24 hours before that. There was too much passion and anger in those killings for them not to have crossed paths with the killer at some point before their final meeting." Grissom stood and started to gather his files.

"Yeah but Griss, it's possible the Cobalt's wouldn't have seen the suspect. It could have been road rage or something. How-"

"Just do it Nick!" They all stood still and watched as Grissom walked down the hallway.

"What is up with that?" Nick shook his head looking at everyone. Warrick patted him on the back.

"He's just fired up about the case man. Don't take it personal. Come on. Let's go."

Sara found Grissom in his office at the end of the shift. She frowned at the need of having an officer there. She stepped in and closed the door. "Hey." He looked up at her and smiled then resumed his paperwork. He looked exhausted.

She walked over to the jarred specimens and acted like she was interested. "So……I talked to Brass earlier. It seems you kind of left out the part that this guy threatened you." She looked at him and waited for an explanation.

He put his pen down and cleared his throat. "Well, not in so many words. And he didn't say my name, so for all we know he could have been talking to the officer who handcuffed him." He tried to shrug it off but he knew she wasn't buying it. "Brass is just being over dramatic."

"Riiiight, over dramatic. Grissom, have you not seen your face? He didn't beat up the officer."

Grissom rolled his eyes and his voice took on a slight high pitch. "He didn't _beat_ me up."

She smiled. "Whatever you say tough guy."

"Sara." He always carried that warning tone very well.

"Okay. I don't want to argue and I know you're too tired to fight."

"Thank you."

"Now, onto another matter." She went around to his side of the desk and leaned her backside against it with her arms folded. He leaned back in his chair trying to brace himself for what was about to come. It still surprised and frightened him at how well they had gotten at reading each others eyes.

"Okay, so have you thought about when we go home?"

He looked confused. Apparently their eyes still needed some work.

"Considering your bodyguard is going to go with you _wherever_ you go." She was trying her hardest to draw him a picture.

"Oh."

She smirked. "Yeah, oh."

He smiled. "You know, if it's okay with you, I'll tell Brass about us and tell him to try to keep it quiet for awhile." He put his hands in the air with his elbows bent and shrugged. "Problem solved." She couldn't believe it.

"If it's okay with me? You know that if it was up to me everyone would know how much I love you."

He smiled at her sweetly. "I know honey. I love you too. I'm just…not ready for the gossip."

She spoke softly. "Grissom, there's always going to be gossip. Hell, I bet they're talking right now." She moved to sit in his lap and his eyes widened. She kissed his lips softly. "Relax, I locked the door."

He smiled and put his arms around her. "Well, in that case." He kissed her passionately. He winced at the pain from his busted lip but the pleasure from kissing her overpowered it. When they came up for air she rested her cheek on his head. They held each other, his arms around her waist and hers around his neck.

A smile came to her face. "So, did you apologize to Nick yet?" He groaned and closed her eyes.

Sam Baker was still fuming that he was hauled in on the _bogus_ murder charge. But he was more pissed off at the cocky cop that was questioning him. Rage was building inside of him and he decided they would meet again. Soon. He stepped into his apartment and shut the door. He turned on the kitchen light and noticed his brother sitting in a chair in the living room. He nearly jumped out of his skin.

"KEVIN! What the hell man? What are you doing in my place? And why are you sitting in the dark!"

Kevin got up from the chair and calmed himself enough to stop laughing. "Sorry man. You're a little jumpy."

"Screw you! I had a run-in with the cops last night and just got out of jail. So, excuse the hell out of me for being a little _jumpy_."

Kevin scratched his head and squinted a little. "Yeah sorry about that man. But you got off."

Sam stared at him and started to walk towards him. Kevin started walking backwards. "How do you know about that?"

"Um, I sort of framed you bro. But you're cool now." He laughed nervously.

Sam grabbed him by the neck and slammed him against the wall. "Why the hell would you do that?" He loosened his grip enough that Kevin could talk.

He managed to choke out, "Sammy, look…Sheila…she said that you slept with her. So …so when I got pissed at this guy and decided to kill him….I…I figured I'd take a knife that you had and screw you while killing him."

"I DIDN'T SLEEP WITH SHEILA! Dude, I can't even stand to be in the same room-"

Kevin stopped him and put his hands up. "I…I know. She told me last night…and dude, that's when I got rid of the knife."

Sam shook his head and released his hold on his brother. "How _did_ you do that?"

Kevin just smiled.

Grissom and his team had no idea what they were in store for.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Authors Note: Thank you again to those of you who have sent reviews. You guys are awesome. This is my first fanfic so they meant a lot. Please let me know what you think of this chapter. Thank you!

Brass was working at his desk when Grissom appeared at his doorway. Grissom cleared his throat. "I uh…I need to talk to you about something."

Brass looked up and smiled. "Come on in. Anything for an old pal."

He stepped inside, closed the door, sat down and took a deep breath. Brass gave him a puzzled look. "Shoot."

"I need to tell you something and I need you to try your best to just keep it between us and my, uh, bodyguard out there."

"I'm intrigued." Brass smirked.

"This is serious Brass."

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry. Please, continue."

"I uh…I won't be going home alone today and I uh…I probably won't be going home alone tomorrow. And I mean that besides my guard."

Brass gave him a questioning look. Grissom closed his eyes. "Sara and I are together."

"Together? Together as in…."

"Um yeah. So I'll talk to you next shift." He got up out of his seat and walked towards the door. He really didn't want to go into further detail and drag out the painful embarrassment. Not that he was embarrassed of Sara but he knew Brass.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Not so fast."

Grissom sighed. "Jim, I know you have a lot of questions but I'm tired and I want to get out of here. I'm asking you as a friend. Please try to keep this between us."

"Alright Gil. You're off the hook. For now. All I have to say is it's about damn time. Take care of her." Brass had a huge smile on his face.

"Thanks Jim. I will. I appreciate this. Really." And with that he was off to take Sara home.

They were lying in bed. Her head was on his chest with her arm around his waist. She spoke softly. "Griss?"

"Hmmm." She barely heard him.

"Are you awake?"

"No." He said as he released a breath.

She poked him in the ribs and he flinched. "Alright!"

He grabbed her arms and flipped them so she was on her back with him on top. She screamed and laughed as he locked her legs with his and held her hands above her head. "What!" He really tried to make it sound like he was upset but it didn't work out so well. His smile came through then she showed hers. He rubbed her nose with his. They looked deep into each others eyes.

"I love you."

"That's what you woke me up for?"

He noticed the slightly hurt look in her eyes. "I love you too." He kissed her. "Can I go back to sleep now?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry." He started to move off of her when he noticed that look. He had seen it many times. Something was bothering her. He moved to the side of her and slid down a little so his head was on her stomach.

"Okay, I'm not going to sleep until you tell me what's bothering you." She looked surprised for a moment then understood how well they knew each other. It still impressed her though. Ten minutes passed and nothing. "Personally, I don't know how you're going to live with the guilt tomorrow. You know, after you see the bags under my eyes and all." She rolled her eyes.

He looked over at the clock. "I _could_ still get in another 4 hours of sleep but-"

She smiled. "Okay! I'm sorry. It's just…nothing really."

He smirked and was very proud of himself. "Talk."

She was rubbing his head, stopping occasionally to play with the curls. He was finding it very difficult to stay awake but he knew she needed to get something off her chest.

"I can't stop thinking about this one. I can feel it in my gut. Baker's either in on it or he knows who did it. I don't think he's totally innocent."

Grissom moved up and turned on his side, leaning on his elbow and looking at her. "I know Sara. There's a connection somewhere but we're not going to find it if we're too tired to see it."

"Yeah, you're right. God, I hate admitting that."

He laughed. "Well, I get it a lot. I'm used to it." She smacked his arm. Then she turned on her side and put her arms around him and kissed his chest. They held each other until they both fell to a deep slumber.

The Baker brothers were in Sam's living room watching cartoons. "Kev, what did he do to make you want to kill him and his wife?"

Kevin was laughing at the TV. when he looked to his brother. "Me and Sheila were at the mall when this dude walked up and was totally checking out her ass. His chick was right there with him. I caught him and he tried to deny it. He should have just admitted he was a perv. The dick started talking trash and putting me down. There was no way I was gonna let him get away with that. Anyway, we got into a screaming match and the rent-a-cops came. I backed off and made it look like I let it go. But I was pissed man. I followed him out of the mall and then all the way to his house. Sheila was bitching at me the whole way."

Sam laughed. "I don't know how you put up with her man."

"Yeah, me either sometimes man. Anyways, that's when we got into a fight. And that's when she said what she said about you guys doing it. Man, I lost it. I came here cause I knew you weren't gonna be here. I put on some gloves and took one of your knives. I really am sorry man."

Sam shook his head. "Forget about it bro. You took care of it. You should have known I would never do your girl though."

"Yeah I know."

"I got problems of my own now. That damn cop was so smug. Like he knew everything, you know. And I told him I didn't do it. He made me look stupid. He's going to get what's coming to him. That's for damn sure."

Kevin looked over to Sam with a huge smile on his face. "Can I help man? I mean you are my brother. He makes you look stupid then he makes me look stupid. He can't dis our family like that, right?"

"Easy bro. I need to take my time and plan this just right. But I'll let you help if you really want to. Come on, let's go get something to eat and we'll talk about it."

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Authors Note: Thank you again to those of you who have sent reviews. You guys are awesome. _A special thanks to SilverDragon for recommending this on TDAW._ This is my first fanfic so they meant a lot. Please let me know what you think of this chapter. Thank you! Happy reading.

Grissom was getting dressed and Sara was in the shower when his phone rang. "Grissom."

"Hey Griss. We may have a lead. It seams Mr. Cobalt was involved in an altercation at a mall close to his home just hours before his murder."

"Why are we just hearing about this now?"

"Well, it seems the security guard didn't hear anything about the murders. When Warrick and I were tracing back Cobalt's steps, we came across a security guard who had broken up the altercation between Cobalt and this unknown guy. He's with a sketch artist now to see if we can get a picture together of him."

"Okay, good work Nicky. Once they have that sketch I want you to get it to every news station. I'll be there shortly."

Nick heard the click of the phone and looked at his cell before closing it. "Bye to you too. Damn it." He shook his head and went on with his work.

Grissom put on his shoes and was buttoning up his shirt as he walked out to the kitchen. He was very hopeful that this would be their break they so desperately needed. He started to make the coffee when Sara made her way out to the kitchen. She walked up behind him and kissed his cheek. He smiled and turned around and put his hands on her hips.

"Nicky may have found our guy."

She perked up. "What? When? Where? How?"

He chuckled. "I think you left out the why." She, however, was not amused. He filled her in on the details of the conversation he had with Nick.

"Well, let's keep our fingers crossed on this one. I have to meet up with Catherine so I'll see you later."

"Okay. You…don't want to ride in…together?" He didn't mean for it to sound so pathetic but she understood.

She smiled. "I would, but I have some errands to run after work." She paused as she made eye contact with him. "I love you." They kissed each other goodbye.

"I love you too. Be careful." With that he watched her leave.

Later that night, Nick spotted Grissom in the hallway walking towards his office. "Hey Griss. Hold up." Grissom stopped and looked up. "I just sent copies of the sketch to the news stations."

"Good, hopefully someone will recognize the guy and come forward. Nick, I uh….I've been pretty hard on you lately. You're doing a great job. I just uh…I just wanted you to know."

Nick was rendered speechless until Grissom started to walk away. "Thanks man. I um…thanks." Nick didn't snap out of it until he saw Grissom turn into his office. He shook his head and walked in the other direction. "I will never figure that guy out."

Kevin burst through Sam's front door while Sam was sleeping on his couch. Sam quickly sat up with eyes wide open.

"Dude, we gotta do this shit today!"

Sam jumped up off the couch with a puzzled look on his face. He was still groggy but trying to figure out what was wrong with his brother. He put his hands up. "Kev, calm down! What the hell happened?"

Kevin was breathing hard and pacing the living room. "They got my picture all over the news man. I guess that damn rent-a-cop talked to the cops. What am I gonna do, huh?" He started to look for the remote for the TV.

Sam rubbed his hands over his face. "Alright…alright. Just let me think for a sec."

They sat down on the couch and Kevin was nervously moving his knee up and down and biting his fingernails waiting for his brother to think of something.

"Okay…okay. We'll go and wait at the cop's house till he gets home. We'll see if he has any money. Then we kill him; take everything we can, then go to Mexico."

"_That's_ your plan? I liked our original plan better."

"Yeah, well thanks to **_you_** we don't have time for the other plan. Besides, _you're_ the one that's in trouble here." He sighed. "Look, I'm willing to go with you but I want this asshole taken out first."

"Alright Sammy. Thanks man." Sam went to his room to get together a bag of his things when he heard his brother. "So, Mexico huh? We could find ourselves some pretty senoritas huh? Yeah…yeah I'm liking this."

"Well, you will never guess who our guy in the sketch is." Sara walked into Grissom's office and sat down in the chair in front of his desk. She looked like the cat that ate the canary. He put his pen down and took off his glasses then squinted at her.

"Who?"

"He has been identified as Kevin Baker."

"_Baker_? What, a brother?"

"Yep." He leaned back and took a deep breath.

"And…there's our connection." She nodded.

"Brass has an APB out on him right now. It seems he is one crazy man."

"Huh, must run in the family." He sighed. "Well, good. At least now we're getting somewhere. Finally. I'm going to finish these then head home. I feel a migraine coming on and I don't have my meds on me." She frowned.

"Okay. You mind if I come by in a couple hours?"

Grissom looked at her like she had two heads. "You don't need to ask Sara. You have a key. In fact, I don't know why you don't just move in with me."

"Wow, you must not be feeling good." She tried to laugh it off to avoid the subject. But he wasn't laughing.

He just stared at her. "I'm serious Sara."

"Okay, we'll talk about it later, alright?"

"Okay." He put his glasses back on and picked up his pen. He winked at her as he spoke softly. "See you later." She smiled shyly and left his office.

Grissom walked into his townhouse. He threw his keys onto the kitchen counter. The last thing he remembered before he hit the floor was the piercing blow to the back of his head.

"Damn it Kev. You weren't supposed to knock him out. I need him awake. I want him to see me kicking the crap out of him."

"Oh, sorry man."

"Don't worry about it. Here, tie his hands behind his back." He handed Kevin some rope, then went over to the fridge and helped himself to some beer.

They waited an hour then Kevin looked over to Sam. "You sure I didn't kill him?"

He looked at Grissom and just then he heard him start to moan. They both grinned as they waited for Grissom to fully come around.

Brass walked into the room where Warrick, Nick, and Catherine were sitting. "Still no whereabouts for Mr. Kevin Baker. So, since his mail goes to his brother's place, we get to look there again. Who wants to ride with me?" They all smiled and they were on their way to the Baker residence.

They knocked on the door. "Mr. Baker. This is the police. We have a warrant to search the premises." No answer. "Mr. Baker!" Brass looked to one of the officers and gave him the "okay" to bust in the door. They all walked in and were looking around. Catherine was looking in the living room when she saw it.

"Uh, hey guys! Didn't Grissom go home earlier?"

Brass answered. "Yeah. Said he had a migraine. Why?" He walked over to her.

She lifted a piece of paper from the coffee table. "Because, this is his address."

"Oh shit. I'll radio for some units to go over there." Catherine dialed Grissom's cell and got his voice mail. They all rushed over to his place.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Mr. Grissom. Did you have a nice nap?" Sam hit Grissom across the face.

Grissom coughed and winced. His head felt like it was split wide open. "Mr. Baker. I wish I could say it's nice to see you again." Then he looked over to Kevin. "And I assume you are Kevin Baker. Judging from your picture of course."

Kevin smiled. Sam was about to hit Grissom again when they heard Sara at the front door. Grissom closed his eyes. He must have been out longer than he thought. He had to do something. He couldn't let them get a hold of her. She was talking to the officer outside. He was about to scream for her when Sam hit him. He pulled Grissom into the hallway.

Sara came in and put her bag down by the door. "Hey babe. I'm home." She smiled at the thought of being able to say that every day. When she didn't hear anything she thought he might be sleeping. She kept walking until she was grabbed by Kevin. She was about to scream when she saw the horrifying scene in front of her. Sam had Grissom on his knees, blood was dripping down his face from the right side of his head, and he had the barrel of a gun pressed at his temple.

"You make any sudden moves or sounds and your precious _babe_ is dead. Got it? Kev, get that rope over there and tie her hands behind her back."

Grissom and Sara were looking deep into each other's eyes. Silent tears started to pour down her face. His heart ached. It was one thing for him to be in this situation but now his Sara was involved and he didn't feel very confident right now that he could protect her. Sam threw Grissom onto the couch and Kevin did the same with Sara.

They were going over what their next move should be when Grissom took the opportunity to try to talk to Sara.

They were looking at each other. "I'm so sorry honey. But we'll get out of this, _together_. You have to know that."

She rubbed her head against his. She sniffled. "I know. Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine honey. We just need to figure out a way out of this." He looked up at her and kissed her forehead. Sam saw this and headed for Grissom.

He instead grabbed Sara by her arm and yanked her up.

Grissom yelled at him. "Baker! You hurt her, then you sure as hell better _kill_ me because I will come after you and kill you with my bare hands." Sam laughed at this. He was going to reply when heard some commotion from outside, tires screeching and people talking loudly but he couldn't make it out. Then someone was banging on Grissom's door. Grissom closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It was his team. He didn't know how they knew but he was glad to hear them.

"Well, Sam. What now? You haven't really done much. You can still get off with just a couple of years. Just let them in and this will all be over with." He threw Sara back down on the couch and pistol whipped Grissom.

"Shut up! Don't tell me what to do."

"GIL!" Sara yelled and tried to scoot over closer to him. She was crying and felt so helpless.

"Sammy, what do we do now?"

"Shut up! Just…everybody shut up!" He looked towards the door and yelled. "Anybody comes in here and they're dead. You hear that? Now back off!"

They all looked at each other. Catherine was the first to speak up. "They? Who else does he have in there?"

Jim's heart sank. "Sara." They all looked confused. "They've been seeing each other for awhile now and they were going to tell you guys when the time was right." He sighed as they all still had their mouths wide open in shock.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Authors Note: Thank you again to those of you who have sent reviews. You guys are awesome. _A special thanks to SilverDragon for recommending this on TDAW._ This is my first fanfic so they meant a lot. Please let me know what you think of this chapter. Thank you! Happy reading.

"Come on guys. We're going to need to call in SWAT." They all stood there shocked and overwhelmed by the day's sudden events. None of them were able to move. "COME ON! Our first priority is to try to get Gil and Sara out of there alive. Let's let _them_ answer your questions later."

While Brass called SWAT the rest of the team were able to gain back their focus and make their way back to the street in front of the townhouse. They were all sick with worry that their two close friends were in the most dangerous situation possible, held captive by two angry lunatics with nothing to lose.

Inside, Grissom was still knocked out. His body was limp, lying diagonal, with his head tilted back. Sara moved so she was slowly rubbing her head against his. She was quietly sobbing thinking of how she would be able to go on without him if she made it out of this mess and he didn't. She came to the conclusion that she couldn't. She _wouldn't_. They both needed to make it through this. She kissed his ear and whispered softly. "Griss…" The lump in her throat made it difficult to speak. "Babe, I need you. Please, please don't leave me. You said we would get through this together!" She sniffled. "Damn it Griss. Please, wake up." She continued to sob. She closed her eyes and thought back to the time when he decided to quit running.

_He just showed up on her doorstep. She opened the door and saw him standing there in the rain. He had a look of a man on a mission and she was curious to see what this was about. "Grissom…why…well, come in. I'll get you a towel." He smiled at her stumbling over her words. She went to retrieve a towel and he stepped inside closing the door behind him._

_She handed him the towel and pointed towards his feet. "Here. You should probably take off your shoes and socks too. That can't be comfortable. I know I hate it when my socks are wet. It makes me cringe just thinking about it. You-"_

"_Sara." He cut her off and she was thankful. She knew how bad she babbled around him. He looked sweetly at her as he continued to speak. "Thank you. I uh…I came here to say some things to you. I need you to be very quiet so I can say what I need to without chickening out. Okay?" He removed his shoes, socks, and jacket. He dried off his face and ran the towel over his head a few times then placed the towel around his neck. Sara stared at him baffled by his boldness and incredibly turned on by how sexy he looked with his wet rumpled hair. _

"_Um...yeah…okay. You want to come and sit on the sofa?" He nodded and they walked over to it and sat down right next to each other, thighs touching. She leaned back with her arms crossed and waited for him to talk. He leaned forward with his elbows on his knees and took a deep breath. She smirked at the silence but told herself to be patient. God knows when it came to him, she as patient as they come. She waited six plus years for him to come around. She was pretty sure where this was going but she knew better than to get her hopes up with him. If he did in fact come here to tell her that he was ready for a relationship she wasn't going to make it easy. _

"_I need to know some things from you. Are you…um…still attracted to me?" He certainly didn't expect the silence. He raised an eyebrow and turned to look at her._

"_Oh, sorry. I thought you wanted me to be quiet." She tried so hard but failed to keep the smile from forming. He rolled his eyes._

"_Maybe. Why?"_

"_I just wondered if we uh…if we might still have a chance to see if anything could happen between us."_

"_Maybe. Why?"_

"_You're enjoying this aren't you?"_

"_Yeah, I am kind of." Her grin she held came to a frown. "But seriously speaking. Why now Griss? What has changed?" _

_He shrugged. "Nothing really. I just can't do it anymore. I need you. I need to know if I've lost you or if we still have a chance."_

_Tears were forming in her eyes at his deep honesty. "Is this another dream or are you really here, really saying this to me?"_

_He smirked. "You too huh? I can't tell you how many times I've dreamed of you."_

_She sat there agape. "Who are you?"_

_He chuckled at her astonishment but quickly gained his seriousness back. "I know I've hurt you Sara. Please believe me when I say that it was never intentional. I'm tired of being that man, of constantly running away from you." He sighed heavily. "I just figured the only way I could make this work, if you still wanted to try, was to be as honest with you as you deserve." He took her hand in his. "I care about you Sara, deeply. I…I really want this to work."_

_That did it. The tears were definitely falling now. He tilted his head to the side and slightly cringed at the sight of her crying. He did the only thing he could think of, he pulled her into his arms. She tensed at first but she quickly relaxed as she put her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder. She was glad that his shirt was already damp because she knew she was adding moisture to it. She lifted her head and sniffled. They were looking deeply into each others eyes. She took his hand in hers. "Would it be okay if you came to bed and held me while we talked?" He saw the desperation in her eyes and knew she needed him as much as he needed her. _

_He nodded slowly. "Yeah, I think it would." It was barely a whisper but loud enough for her to hear it. They got up from the couch, still holding their grip on each other's hand, and made their way to her bedroom. They were both so nervous, neither one wanting to say or do the wrong thing. She pulled back the covers and he asked if he could take his shirt off. She hesitantly told him yes. _

'_You can do this. Just talk.' She told herself. They got into bed, pulled up the covers, and snuggled up to each other like they had done it for years. It surprised them both. She had her face in the crook of his neck with her arm draped across his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. _

_He kissed the top of her head. "This feels so good, finally holding you. I'm so sorry about all the time I wasted."_

"_Shhh, we can't do anything about the past. And as hard as I try I just can't seem to stay mad at you. It does feel right though, being in your arms." They both smiled and felt completely relaxed. They talked the entire night. They were exhausted by morning but felt completely refreshed at the new life they had ahead of them. _

Grissom started to move and it shook her out of her deep thought. She said a silent 'thank you' then spoke to him. "Baby, you okay?"

He groaned and winced in pain. "I'd be doing a hell of a lot better if that jackass would quit hitting me in the head." She smiled at that. He was back.

Brass walked over to where Catherine and the guys were. "Okay, they have the surrounding units evacuated. They have a couple guys on the roof, two in the back, two at the front, and a sniper at the top of this building…" He said while pointing at the building in back of them. "…with a good view of the front window. Unfortunately, the blinds are closed. I gave them Gil's numbers. They're trying to call his home phone now. Let's go listen in." Nobody said a thing. They just looked over to the house and started to walk over to the command post.

After the sixth ring Kevin looked at Sam. "Sammy, shouldn't we get that?"

"If it's for me, tell them I'm a little tied up at the moment."

"I thought I told you to shut up!"

"Sorry, short term memory's not working so well. I guess too many hits to the head." He smirked.

Sam made a move toward Grissom. "Sammy, forget him right now. We need to answer the phone. It's probably them."

Sam glared at Grissom and then walked over to answer the phone. Sara whispered to Grissom. "You know, I don't think pissing him off even more is such a good idea."

He looked to Sara. "Sure it is. He's not thinking clearly. Trust me." He winked at her.

"I think maybe he has hit you too many times in the head." She shook her head and they both looked over to the phone and the Baker brothers.

"What!"

"Mr. Baker?"

He responded sarcastically. "Very good five-o? What do you want?"

"For starters, I want to know that Mr. Grissom and Ms. Sidle are okay. In return, we will fulfill one of your requests, within reason of course."

"Fine. Look at the front window. Kev, take them over to the window."

Kevin grabbed them each by one arm and ushered them over to the window, then pulled up the blinds.

"There. You see them?"

A sigh of relief came from the team. "Yes I do. Thank you. So, what can we do for you?"

"How 'bout you get the hell out of here?"

"I said within reason Mr. Baker. We will not leave them."

"Fine call back in 10 minutes and I'll tell you." He ended the call without hearing a response.

The negotiator took the phone from his ear and looked at it. Brass looked at him. "What did he say?"

"He said to call back in 10."

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Authors Note: Thank you again to those of you who have sent reviews. You guys are awesome. _A special thanks to SilverDragon for recommending this on TDAW._ This is my first fanfic so they meant a lot. Please let me know what you think of this chapter. Thank you! Happy reading.

Grissom watched as Sam slammed the phone down on the counter. Behind his back, he finally worked his fingers up to where the knot was. He had to rest from time to time because they would cramp up.

"So, when they call back, what are we gonna tell them?"

"Well, _we_ are going to say we want a million bucks unmarked and a car with a full tank of gas. Then…we take it from there." He took a deep breath and sat down at one of the barstools at the counter.

Grissom started to work on the knot again. He looked over at Sara with a crooked smile. She met his eyes and shot him a questioningly look. She whispered to him. "What?"

He spoke with equal volume. "Remember our first time?"

She lowered her head and grinned from ear to ear. "Of course I remember. I couldn't forget if I tried. I was so nervous, I was a klutz." She looked up at him. "Why are you bringing this up now?"

He smiled mischievously at her. "Oh, I don't know. Just came to mind. I don't really remember a whole lot of it. It seems someone was trying to get me rather drunk."

She rolled her eyes. "You were **_so_** not drunk. Besides, _you_ were the one who wanted to go out for drinks. I was just along for the ride. And what a ride it was."

He chuckled at her. "Why don't you tell me how you remember the night?"

She stared at him for awhile. The investigator in her knew he was trying to get her mind off their predicament, but why this? She was positive he remembered that night. They just had a few drinks. Neither one of them were _drunk_ by any means. So why? She racked her brain and he was trying to hide his smile as he saw the wheels in her head moving. She decided to humor him. "Fine, I'll tell you if you promise to quit trying to piss off psycho boy over there."

"I will do my best at keeping my sarcasm in check. Will that suffice?"

"Okay. I guess that's good enough for now." She closed her eyes and leaned her head on the back of the couch. "We both had the night off. You showed up on my doorstep, for which I was pleasantly surprised. We kissed for what seemed like an hour. I hadn't seen you for over a week, outside of work. God, I had missed you."

He smiled then nodded for her to continue. She smirked as well. She was about to continue when the phone rang. They both looked over to the brothers again.

"Alright, 1 million bucks, unmarked, and a car with a full tank of gas. NOW!"

"Mr. Baker calm down. It's going to take some time to get that kind of money togeth-"

"You got four hours. You either make it happen or you can start planning two funerals for your cops in here. Your choice." He clicked the button on the phone and slammed it down on the counter.

"That was awesome Sammy!" Kevin laughed.

"Yeah? Tell me that when we're sitting on a beach in Mexico. We still have a long road to the border little brother."

"We'll do it man. We have to. I'm not going back in the joint. I will die first." Sam looked up at his brother then back down to the counter. Kevin took a seat on the other barstool next to Sam.

Grissom shook his head then looked to Sara. "So, you missed me huh?" She smiled and was still trying to figure out what he was up to. He was so unbelievably calm. He let his fingers rest a little when she decided to continue.

She smiled sweetly at him. "Yes, very much. I don't know if you've noticed but we haven't been apart for more than a day since then. It's bad for my health to be apart from you for very long." He started to blush uncontrollably and she smiled with pride. "So, anyway, I asked if you wanted to stay in and you said you wanted to take me out instead. We had a _few_ drinks and ended up at a bar in the Bellagio that night. That was where you stunned me when you asked me to dance with you. I didn't think it was possible to love you anymore than I already did. But I thought I was going to melt in your arms as we swayed to 'You and I' by Michael Buble. By the way, if anyone asks, _that_ is our song."

He chuckled lightly. "I agree. That was pretty magical. Go ahead." He was trying not to show his excitement that he was finally getting somewhere with the knot.

She kissed him softly and then continued. "Then we sat back down at the bar and had another drink, which I did _not_ force upon you. When we were just about done with those, you left to go use the 'restroom'. Then you somehow came back from there with a key to one of the rooms. Talk about speechless."

He laughed. "That was the first time I ever heard you struggle to put three words together for more than ten minutes. I usually can't shut you up."

She glared at him. "Excuse me, but I thought _I_ was telling you this story because _you_ couldn't remember. You know, due to your intoxication and all."

He tried to rid the smile off his face. "You're right. I'm sorry."

She acted like she was offended but he knew better. "Anyway, when we got into the room, after I almost killed myself by tripping over my own feet…" He rolled his eyes at the exaggeration. "…we kissed for awhile through bits of laughter. Then I had pulled off my shirt and thrown it, unfortunately, in the direction of the glass lamp on the end table. Do I really have to continue? I was a fumbling idiot."

He just about had the knot undone. "Please do. And you were not. You were and are incredibly sexy. You were just nervous."

She stared at him. There had to be a point to this. She thought to herself, 'we have these two crazies to worry about and he wants to stroll down memory lane.'

"Well, after the lamp shattered, you told me not to worry about it." She sighed at the embarrassing memory. "Then, I unbuttoned your shirt and was very careful to just let it fall off your shoulders. No more flinging of any clothing from there on out. That's when I got the drawstring on my pants into a knot. I seriously couldn't do anything right that night."

He got it. His hands were free but he kept them in the same position. He closed his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. She looked at Grissom as it all dawned on her. "That's when you undid the knot in less than a minute." She closed her eyes for a moment then opened them to look deeply into his. "Oh God, Grissom, please tell me you didn't."

"Well, it took a little more than a minute but yes, I did." Panic flashed over her face. "Honey, it's our only way out of this. Please, just trust me."

She closed her eyes again as a single tear trailed down her face. She took a deep breath and opened them. "I do. You know that." She leaned her forehead against his. "When?"

He looked over to the brothers. "I don't know yet. Since Kevin doesn't have a gun I need to go after Sam. But I'm probably going to need a diversion of some sort. We still have a little bit of time to think it over."

Warrick and Nick were sitting on the curb. Catherine was leaning on the SWAT truck and Brass was pacing.

"I can't take this! We have to do _something_!"

"Cath, we can't force this. We have to wait for them to slip up."

"And what if they don't Jim?" He could see the tears well up in her eyes, ready to fall. He reached for her and pulled her into a warm embrace.

He spoke softly. "They'll be okay Cath. They'll be okay." He was looking over her shoulder toward Nick and Warrick. They both had grim looks on their faces.

Kevin got up and started to rummage through Grissom's refrigerator. "Shit man. Don't you eat?" He looked over to Grissom then back to the fridge. "He ain't got nuthin in here but beer and some funky green and black things in jars."

"There are some chocolate covered grasshoppers on the top shelf. Full of protein and quite tasty." Sara rolled her eyes while the brothers glared at him.

"Relax man. Next time they call in I'll have them order us a pizza."

He through the door shut. "Whatever man. I'm gonna go take a leak." He started for the bathroom at the end of the hall but stopped when the phone rang.

Sam waved him on. "Go ahead. I'll order the food." He continued on.

"Yeah."

"Just checking in to see how everyone's doing."

"We want a pizza here in 20 minutes. Pepperoni and sausage and it better be hot."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Mr. Baker, don't you remember, tic for tac. Now we get something, within reason."

There was a long pause. "Fine. What do you want?"

Brass took the phone. "Let me talk to Grissom."

Sam looked over at him. "Fine." He walked over to the couch. "They want to talk to you. And since I'm such a nice guy, talk." He shoved the phone to Grissom's ear and held the gun up to his forehead. Grissom looked at Sara out of the corner of his eye. She knew the time was coming.

"Grissom."

Brass closed his eyes. It was good to hear his voice again. "Hey pal. How you guys holding up?"

"Never better. Jim, don't worry about busting up my place."

"Huh?" Brass was confused then realized that he was trying to tell him something. Sam was a little slow and looked at Grissom questioningly.

"Brass, now would be a good time to send your guys in."

"What the hell are you trying to pul-" Sam was interrupted by Grissom jumping him. The phone went to the ground and they were wrestling for control of the gun.

Grissom yelled at the top of his lungs. "NOW BRASS!" Sara was frozen.

Brass spoke into his walkie talkie while sprinting towards the townhouse. "All units move in now. I repeat move in now!"

A gunshot rang out from inside the house. Kevin came running down the hallway just as two SWAT guys came through the front door and two through the window.

Grissom was on top of Sam when he heard the 'good guys' come crashing in. "Freeze, LVPD! Down on the ground now!"

Kevin rushed Grissom and almost got to him when he was shot twice by one of the officers. Sam stopped struggling with Grissom when he saw his brother fall to the ground. "No! Kevin!" He through Grissom to the side and crawled over to his brother. The officers grabbed him and forced him to the ground on his stomach.

Grissom was breathing hard, relieved that it was over. Brass and the team came running in just as he looked over to where Sara was sitting. His heart stopped when he saw her slumped over on the couch, not moving.

"SARA!"

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Authors Note: Thank you again to those of you who have sent reviews. You guys are awesome. This is my first fanfic so they meant a lot. Please let me know what you think of this chapter. Thank you! Happy reading.

Grissom ran over to the couch. "Sara! No. God no!" He gently grabbed hold of her and moved her so she was upright on the couch facing him. He spotted the entry wound in her right shoulder, just above her breast. He searched but there was no exit wound. Brass radioed for the paramedics. The team ran over to them as Grissom checked for a pulse. "Nick, untie her hands." Once her hands were free they carefully laid her down. "Where are those medics!"

Just as Brass lifted the radio to his face, the medics came in. Grissom had a hold of Sara's hand, his eyes fixed on her. "Excuse me sir. We need to work on her."

Warrick and Nick pulled him up off his knees and backed him away so the medics could do their job. Warrick put his hand on Grissom's shoulder. "Just let them work man. She'll be okay. She has to." His voice drifted off at the end.

Catherine couldn't stop the tears from flowing. Brass had his arm around her. They all made eye contact with each other except for Grissom. He couldn't move or speak. He just stood there, helpless and stunned.

They got Sara stabilized and onto the stretcher. Grissom looked up at Brass and Catherine. They knew no words were needed. They would meet him at the hospital.

Once in the ambulance, Grissom had Sara's hand again. All he could think about was all the time he had wasted over the years. He knew he didn't deserve her. Of course the last time he told her that, she nearly chewed his head off. He remembers her exact words after she calmed down. _"What kind of man do you think I deserve anyway? A man with integrity, smart, attractive. One who loves me as much as I love him. A man who would defend my honor and protect me. Maybe one who can make me smile and feel better without having to say a word; all he has to do is just walk into the room. You're right, I do deserve that and you know what Grissom, that man…is you."_

The paramedic jolted Grissom out of his thoughts. "We're here sir." They wheeled Sara into the ER. A nurse took Grissom by the elbow.

"Come on honey. Let them work on her while we get you checked out." She took him over to a gurney and told him to sit. "The doctor will be with us shortly. Do you need me to call anyone for you?" He merely shook his head no. He knew the team would be there, if they weren't already. "Okay, are you experiencing any nausea or dizziness? Any pain anywhere?"

He shortly replied. "I'm fine." He was very annoyed. He wanted to be with Sara.

She took a deep breath. She knew he was not going to be an easy patient. "Fine, huh? Well, judging by those cuts and bruises you might have a skull fracture. That doesn't sound _fine_." She took down all of his information. "I have to check on something. Stay put."

Not more than two minutes later the doctor came in followed by the nurse. "Mr. Griss-"

He interrupted him. "Any word on Sara yet?"

He looked to the nurse for some kind of explanation. "He's talking about the woman that was brought in with the gunshot wound."

"Oh, no. Dr. Griffith is taking care of her. He's one of our best. Don't worry, she's in good hands." Grissom closed his eyes then opened them again when he heard the doctor speak again. "So I hear you took a few blows to the head. Amy here tells me that you were out for about 20 minutes after one of those. You probably have a concussion. Let's look at your eyes and ears." After examining him, the doctor looked over to the nurse. "Everything looks okay but let's get him up to radiology. I want a full skull series."

Grissom started to protest. "Mr. Grissom, I assure you, as soon as we know anything about your friend we will let _you_ know. Until then, let's make sure you don't have anything broken up there. Okay?" Grissom reluctantly nodded and they took him to radiology.

The team had arrived to the ER as fast as they could. Brass checked in with the nurse at the front desk and was told that Sara was in surgery and Grissom was being examined. Nick and Warrick decided to take a walk and get some coffee for everyone. Brass and Catherine sat down in the waiting room.

"What a day."

"Yeah. Talk about your roller coasters. So, why didn't you tell me about them?"

"Catherine, come on. You know that wasn't my call to make." She rolled her eyes. "I only knew for a few days. Besides, it's not really any of our business. I'm just glad that Gil finally came around to his senses."

"I hate it when you're right." He smiled and took her hand in his.

"Yeah, well, it doesn't happen very often so let me have the glory when I am." She chuckled and squeezed his hand.

Grissom was back from radiology and sitting on the gurney while the nurse cleaned him up and put bandages on the cuts that needed them. The doctor walked in just as she was finishing up. "Good news Mr. Grissom. You don't have any fractures but I do want to keep you here overnight for observation."

"That won't be necessary. Any news on Sara?"

"Nothing new. She's still in surgery. I highly recommend that you stay-"

"Thank you doctor." He hoped off the gurney. He spoke quietly and evenly. "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere. I'll be in the waiting room." The nurse and the doctor shared looks as Grissom walked out of the room.

Nick had dozed off in one of the corners of the room. Brass and Catherine were still sitting beside each other facing the door. Warrick couldn't stop pacing. Grissom stopped in the doorway and looked at his friends. Catherine was the first to notice him. He looked like a zombie. No real expression and he still had blood on his shirt. "Hey. Come here." She stood and waved him over. He walked to her and sat down between her and Brass.

Warrick stopped his pacing. "Nothing new on Sara yet?" Grissom kept his eyes on the ground and slowly shook his head no.

Warrick sighed and took a seat. Catherine couldn't take her eyes off of Grissom. He was leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. She put a hand on his back and spoke. "Gil, can I get you some coffee?" He didn't answer. She and Brass made eye contact. "Gil?" Still nothing. He just kept staring at the floor. Brass stood and motioned for her to step outside the room with him. She hesitantly followed.

"I've never seen him like this before Jim."

"I know. Me neither."

"I just wish he'd cry or yell or hit something, anything." She took a deep breath. "He's just…I mean, I know we're all used to him not showing any emotion…but, this is Sara. He must be ready to explode. He's scaring the hell out of me."

"Yeah, me too. Look, we just have to be strong for him, and Sara." He looked over Catherine's shoulder. "Hey, here comes her doctor." They quickly walked back into the room. The doctor scanned the room. "Mr. Grissom?" Grissom instantly rose from his seat and focused on the doctor. "Ms. Sidle will be fine. She came through surgery like a champ. She's a tough lady. I'll have a nurse come in here to let you know what room she's assigned to once she's out of recovery. Mr. Grissom?"

He was barely able to choke out a "thank you". There was a huge weight that was lifted from the room. They were all smiling until they noticed their friend. Just after the doctor left, Grissom dropped to his knees and began to sob uncontrollably. Catherine knelt down to comfort him. She wrapped her arms around him.

"God, Catherine. I…I love her so much. I don't know what I would have done without her."

"Shhh. She's okay Gil. You're going to see her in a little bit. You guys are going to be fine."

She kept whispering words of encouragement to him. She rocked him until he started to calm a little. There wasn't a dry eye in the room. They've all known how much Grissom cared about Sara but now they knew just how much he loved her.

Brass talked Warrick and Nick into going back to the lab and taking care of a few things. He walked them out to their SUV. When he came back, Catherine had Grissom in the chair next to her. She still had her arms around him. She wasn't aware he had fallen asleep until Brass told her. He whispered to her. "I just saw the nurse. Sara's in room 206. Apparently, Griss' doctor talked to Sara's. It seems he was supposed to stay here overnight for observation. And being the Gil we all know and love, he refused. So, they set up the extra bed in Sara's room for him."

"That's incredible. Should we wake him?"

"I think it'll be okay to. I think he'll get more sleep in a bed than in this chair. Besides he needs to see Sara."

"Okay." She shook Grissom a little. "Gil. Gil, Sara has a room now. Let's go see her."

"Sara?"

"Yeah. Come on, Jim and I will help you to her room."

He was gradually becoming more alert. Brass helped him to his feet. "Come on pal. You'll feel better once you see her."

When they got to her room Grissom stopped. Brass nearly ran right in to him. "Go ahead Gil. We'll see you tomorrow morning. That extra bed in there is for you. They'll give you 15 minutes then you better be in it." He looked confused. "It's the only way they'll let you stay the whole night here. Otherwise, they would make you observe the visitors hours. Besides I hear they wanted to keep you tonight anyway."

He nodded. Then his eyes started to water again. "Thank you guys, for everything. I wouldn't have made it though this without you."

Brass nodded and couldn't form any words without breaking down. Catherine sniffled. "Gil, just take care of yourself and Sara. We'll see you tomorrow." He looked at the door. "Go on."

He walked in and stood next to Sara's bed. He wiped his eyes and took her hand in his, gently rubbing the back of it with his thumb. He kissed her on the forehead and then on the cheek. "I love you so much Sara. And you know what, that scares the hell out of me. It's always just been me. I've never depended on anyone to where I wouldn't be able to live without them. I know that sounds harsh but it's the truth. Although, I know you guys wouldn't be surprised by that." He rolled his eyes and sniffled. "I've even acquired your over-talking problem." He sighed and stroked her hair a few times. He kissed her forehead again. "I'll be right over there if you need me honey." He took his shoes off and climbed into the bed. He was asleep within minutes.

The next morning Brass came in and saw Grissom still asleep. He walked over to Sara's bed and pulled up a chair. He took her hand in his. Sara started to stir. Sluggishly speaking, "Griss?" As she focused on Brass he noticed her confusion. He pointed over to the other bed.

"He wouldn't leave you and the doctors wanted to keep him overnight, so they compromised." She smiled at that. "How you feeling?"

"Groggy and sore. But I'll be okay. How's he doing?"

"Better now that you're going to be fine. You both had us scared beyond belief."

"I'm sorry." She softly spoke as she watched Grissom sleep.

"Look, I'll let you get some more rest. I'll come back-"

"No Brass. Please stay. I want to talk to you about something."


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Authors Note: Thank you again to those of you who have sent reviews. You guys are awesome. This is my first fanfic so they meant a lot. Please let me know what you think of this chapter. Thank you! Happy reading.

Brass sat back down and waited for Sara to speak. Her eyes were fixated on Grissom's sleeping form. He gently whispered to her, not wanting to startle her. He could see she was in deep thought. "Sara."

"Hmm? Oh, sorry."

"It's okay. You must be exhausted. I really can come back lat-"

She interrupted him, suddenly remembering why she had asked him to stay. "He asked me to move in with him."

Brass was shocked, to say the least. "Wow." He looked over to Grissom. "Boy, he really has come a long way. I never thought I'd see that day." He turned back to meet Sara's eyes. "Except, you guys are pretty much already living together anyway, aren't you?"

"Yeah. Kind of, I guess." Brass noticed the uncertainty in her voice and the tears that started to form, then fall.

"Sara? Hey, what's wrong?" He grabbed a tissue and blotted her face. She closed her eyes. He spoke softly. "Hey. It's just me here. What's going on?"

"I'm just…so scared." She opened her eyes to see Brass' concerned look, and took a deep breath. "Scared that if we do live together, I may do or say something wrong that will make him run. Everything is good right now, well, before this mess happened." She took a deep breath. "Yeah, we spend almost every day with each other, but at least he has that out if he needs it. You know?" She sniffled. "I don't know. I guess I just feel like I'd be pressing my luck."

Brass laughed and shook his head, which pissed her off. Noticing the glare that was directed toward him he decided to explain. He grabbed her hand and held it tightly. "Sara, after having front row seats to the events of the last 24 hours, I can honestly say, you are getting yourself worked up over nothing. Interesting tidbit I think you should know, in all the years I've known Gil, I have never seen him shed one tear. That is, until last night. And believe me there was a lot more than just one. You know what that is Sara? It's love. You've managed to break through the great wall of Gil Grissom. I don't think any of us thought that would be possible."

He chuckled and she looked to him sweetly while wiping her eyes. "Thank you Jim. I…I guess I needed to hear that." She looked back to Grissom. "I started to accept that he was my unattainable dream. Then when we started seeing each other I just kept waiting for it to end."

"Sara, you need to quit thinking like that."

"No, I know. I do. I just…it's so surreal."

He squeezed her hand. "I know. You guys have something that's extremely special. You'll be okay. You just let me know if he gets out of line at all. I'll send the guys after him." He winked at her.

She put a hand to her head. "Oh God, the guys. Everyone knows now huh? Are they upset?"

"Relax Sara. It's okay. They were a little stunned, to say the least. But they're all happy for you guys." He looked to his watch. "Look, if you're going to be okay, I better get going. You should try to get some rest because they'll be coming by to see you later."

"Okay. Thank you, Jim. I knew I could talk to you."

"Anytime kiddo. Get some rest." He stood and kissed her on her forehead then pointed over to Grissom with his thumb. "Tell that guy I'll talk to him later."

"Okay." She watched him leave the room then her eyes fell onto Grissom. His back was to her the whole time. Little did she or Brass know, he had been wide awake. He waited a few minutes before repositioning, pretending that he was just waking. He looked over to Sara and locked eyes with her.

They gazed at each other until Sara spoke. "Hey."

"Hi."

She laughed as they fell back to their fixation. "How you feeling?"

He moved to sit up and groaned. "I'm fine. You're the one who got shot." He winced as he remembered why they were there. "By the way, I'm sorry about that. How are you?"

"It's not your fault. I should have gotten down. And…I'm good."

He shook his head to protest. But as he stood, he became dizzy and grabbed for her bed. "Grissom, you okay?"

Thankful her bed was there, he still stood leaning on it. He blinked repeatedly then stopped when the dizziness was gone. "Whoa. Yeah, just a little dizzy. I'm okay."

She scooted over as much as she could to her right, wincing at the pain. "Come here."

"Sara-"

"I said come here. There's plenty of room and…I need you to hold me." He couldn't resist her puppy dog eyes. He knew, that alone, was going to lose him a lot of arguments in the future.

He moved to lay down beside her, shaking a finger at her. "Fine, but if we get in trouble, I'm going to tell them it was your idea."

"What are they going to do, kick us out?"

"Good point." He winked at her as he tried to maneuver on the bed without hurting her. Once he got settled, he kissed the top of her head.

"You're right. This is good."

She chuckled softly, eyes closed, as her head rested on his chest. "The doctor couldn't have prescribed a better medicine." They laid there soaking in each other's warmth. "Griss, can we talk?"

He knew exactly what she wanted to talk about and thought it could wait. She needed her rest. "Later honey, later. I want you to get some sleep. I'll be right here."

She turned her head to kiss his chest. "Okay." He rubbed the back of her hand in lazy circles with his thumb and rested his cheek on her head. Between the movements of his sweet caress and the sound of his heartbeat, she fell quickly into a deep slumber. He soon succumbed to sleep as well.

The nurse had come in to take Sara's vitals. She stirred a little but didn't wake. The nurse knew it was against hospital policy but she didn't have the heart to tell anyone. As she was leaving, Catherine and Nick were walking in. They stopped when they saw the pair. The nurse smiled. "They've been sleeping so soundly. They are a sweet couple aren't they?"

Catherine was speechless and Nick blushed. "Yeah, yeah, they are. Thank you ma'am."

They were about to follow the nurse out when they heard Grissom. "Hey, guys. Come on in." He was trying to free his arm from Sara's hold as they walked over to the bed.

"It's okay Gil, stay there. You shouldn't be moving much either." His body was incredibly sore, so he decided to take Catherine's advice.

Nick sat to the right of Sara's bed and Catherine to the left. An uncomfortable silence filled the room. "So, how you guys doing?"

Grissom grinned at Nick's approach to breaking the awkwardness. "Better. I want to talk to her doctor and see when we can get her home."

Nick stood and grinned. "Stay put, I'm on it."

Catherine chuckled. "Gil, the clean up crew finished your place. It's all ready, for the most part."

He shook his head and frowned. "No, I don't want to spend another night there. We'll go back to Sara's." At her confused expression he continued. "I almost lost her there Catherine. Once I get her settled at her place, I'm going to call my realtor and sell the townhouse."

"Wow, okay. Well, let us know if we can help."

"Thank you Cat. You've been great. I've been hit with several realizations over the last couple of days. One of those being how much of a family we've all become." She patted his leg and started to tear.

She wiped her eyes. "You're welcome. Now let's change the subject. No more crying."

He laughed softly. "You're on. How's everybody at the lab doing? I should be back-"

"No way buster. You're not coming back for at least a week." He started to protest. "NO. We are doing fine. You're not going to be any help to us until you are completely better. I don't want to hear anymore about it. I'll handle Ecklie."

"Yes ma'am."

"Well, that was easier than I thought it was going to be."

Sara started to stir, wincing from the pain. She turned her head so her cheek was resting on Grissom's chest. It took her a moment to focus on Catherine and the two smiled at each other. "Hey Cat."

"Hey Sara. How you feeling?"

"Good, considering." She looked up to Grissom's adoring eyes. "Have we seen the doctor yet?"

He began to rub her arm. "Nick went to look for him."

"Good. I want to get out of here. I can't wait to get back home." Catherine read the 'can we have a minute alone' look from Grissom's face.

"I'll uh; I'll go see what's keeping Nick."

As they watched the door close, Sara spoke with a chuckle. "I'm surprised at her. Usually she's smoother than that. What's going on Gil?"

"You just never cease to amaze me." He kissed the top of her head. "Catherine was telling me that my townhouse has been cleaned up. And…I uh…I told her that it doesn't matter. That we'll go back to your place. Is that okay?"

"Absolutely. Griss, I've decided that I want to move in with you, if the offer still stands."

He squeezed her hand. "Of course it still stands. But…"

She moved her head so she could read his eyes. "What babe?"

"I just…it'll be more like _me_ moving in with _you_ until I can buy a new house. I don't want to go back there Sara. I…it-"

"It's okay Griss. You don't have to. Besides, it'll be nice to have a fresh start. Equal territory, nothing that's been _your_ place or _my_ place."

He leaned down and kissed her lightly on the lips. "Exactly. I love you Sara. We'll make this work, I promise. Besides, the great wall of Gil Grissom is gone." He smiled brightly at her shocked face.

"You heard all of that?"

He didn't answer her, just went back to kissing her lips.

TBC?


End file.
